In 2009, I took a year long sabbatical to the west coast of Africa - I rented my apartment in NYC and moved to Libreville, Gabon, 20 miles north of the equator. This blog is about my travel adventures in a country I never heard of before, my experiences living on the U.S. Embassy compound, my involvement as a strategy consultant with local NGO's and my participation with varied cultures.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Are you afraid of spiders? I am...especially big, giant ones...here is my African spider story.

I was 'cat-sitting' for a friend on the embassy compound in Libreville. Her cat is small and fast, so it was important to enter/exit the apartment quickly in order to prevent her from running out. On the first day, when leaving the apt and locking the door, I noticed a large black spider to the left of the front door. I mean it was huge...it stood as large as a tennis ball...and it wasn't moving. Maybe I surprised it? I didn't notice it when I went in, but I was fumbling with the keys. Eeeww.

The next morning, there it was again. It was in the same area and I was looking around for a stick or something to poke it. It wasn't moving and I wanted to shoo it away. No such luck. When I left, sure enough, it was just standing there large and still. My friends' townhouse is not far from the front gate, so I decided to ask the local guard if he knew what kind of spider it was.

He came over to check it out with his boots on. I mention this because I wear flip flops and there is no way I am getting too close to that thing, it's so damn big. The guard slowly walks up to it. He bends down for a closer look and slowly puts his finger down towards it. He pokes at it. I am thinking, what is the RSO's (Regional Security Officer) number? This guard is going to get bit by some large poisonous spider and I am going to have to call for help. The guard picks up the spider to show it to me with a big smile on his face.

The townhouse next store is actually home to the RSO and his wife. They have two children and one of them is a four year old boy who likes plastic bugs. I was afraid of a plastic bug for two days.